The cloth bag that Link threw over was not a space bag enchanted with the Traceless Extension Charm, so Fred felt the weight of its contents the moment he took it.
This made his eyebrows furrow. "Link, my parents didn't lie to you. We really still have money."
Fred spoke seriously to Link, but Link was feeling a bit of a headache. Of course, he knew that the Weasley family actually still had some money.
Not to mention that the Weasley family already had children working, even George and Fred, those two guys, would often earn money by reselling contraband at school.
According to Link's estimation, the little savings these two had accumulated over the years were probably already several hundred Galleons, which was not a small sum.
However, Link also knew that this money was what George and Fred had prepared for opening a shop after graduation. It had always been their dream, so unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn't touch it.
But this had nothing to do with Link. The reason he wanted to buy Ginny new books wasn't because the Weasley family was pitiful. It was because, in the original story, the one who took that diary was Ginny.
To prevent the plot inertia from having the diary end up in Ginny's hands again, Link planned to simply replace all of Ginny's textbooks with new ones.
And best to gift her a dozen or so brand-new diaries too.
Previously, he had George get the Weasley couple out of the way because he wanted to secretly let Fred and the others accept this money. He didn't expect that Fred would also be so stubborn.
This made Link a little annoyed. But for the sake of future safety, Link still endured and said patiently, "Just accept it. I don't mean to pity you guys. I also know the situation with your and George's little savings. This is nothing more than a gift for a friend's little sister."
"Yeah, Fred, since Link said so, let's just accept it."
Ron also chimed in. As someone with older brothers and a younger sister, a poor soul who had never really been favored, Ron didn't have the same kind of persistence his parents and brothers did.
"But…"
Fred's expression still showed some struggle. Seeing this, Link clicked his tongue and said, "Alright, stop acting like I'm begging you. Give the money to Ginny. It's not even for you."
Fred was stunned at those words, then glanced at Ginny. After seeing the expectant look in her eyes, he finally gave in and silently handed the bag to Ginny.
For a moment, the atmosphere among the group finally became cheerful.
At this moment, Fred also sighed in relief. He patted Ginny's little head and asked Link, "But Link, I still don't understand why you asked Lucius to throw away that book. It could still be used."
As soon as Fred said that, everyone present turned their eyes to Link. After all, his earlier actions were indeed a bit unreasonable.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Link's face. He used the excuse he had prepared long ago and said, "Have you forgotten what Mr. Weasley does? He works at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office of the Ministry of Magic, and also does some confiscation of dark magical items, right?"
Harry, Ron, and the others exchanged glances and then nodded. But judging from their expressions, it seemed they hadn't yet figured out the reason behind it.
So Link had to continue, "And what about Lucius Malfoy? A former Death Eater, a well-known dark wizard, right? So what if he had hidden something he shouldn't in that book, and then reported Mr. Weasley, what would be the consequence?"
At these words, everyone present gasped. They all knew that with Lucius's character, he could definitely do something like that.
If that really happened, Mr. Weasley would be in big trouble.
For a moment, everyone was filled with anger, and the topic of conversation shifted from Link to condemning the Malfoy family. And just then, an anxious voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"Link! Did you just use a spell to stop Mr. Weasley and Malfoy?"
Hearing this, Link turned his head and saw Hermione panting as she looked at him. Behind her stood a middle-aged man and woman, who seemed to be Hermione's parents.
"That's right…"
"You were too reckless, Link!" Hermione said angrily, "Hogwarts forbids underage wizards from using magic outside of school. You could be expelled for this!"
"Uh, this…" Link said awkwardly, "It's not a big deal. Hogwarts won't expel me just for this. The Ministry of Magic won't come after me either."
"That's impossible! Dumbledore gave us a very strict warning back then!" Hermione still didn't quite believe it.
Seeing this, Fred coughed and said proudly, "Dumbledore was just trying to scare us. He wouldn't really do it. George and I know this all too well. You know, we've been casting spells at home since first year."
"But I clearly saw in the documents that many young wizards have been expelled because of this."
"I guess they were all Muggle-born wizards?" Ron tilted his head and said, "That's normal. The Trace embedded in our wands can't accurately tell who cast the spell. As long as there are other wizards around you, it can't track properly. And you really don't have to worry about Link, he's the sole heir of the Flamel family. Dumbledore would have to be crazy to expel him over something so small."
"Is that so?" Hermione still had a bit of doubt on her face, but her tone had already softened.
But Link was now frowning. Because the Trace system, strictly speaking, was an extremely unfair rule toward Muggle-borns. Normally, this kind of hidden rule was kept quietly in people's hearts, but Ron had said it out loud so openly. Especially while Hermione's parents were right there.
Thinking this, Link secretly glanced at Hermione's parents and saw that their expressions were indeed a bit unpleasant. So he decisively changed the subject, "Hermione, are these your parents?"
"Ah, yes. I almost forgot to introduce them to you. How rude of me."
Hermione spoke in a flustered manner, while Link directly skipped her and reached out his hand to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, "It's an honor to meet you. You have a remarkable daughter. Her performance at Hogwarts is outstanding. You'll surely be proud of her in the future."
Mr. and Mrs. Granger also shook hands with Link a bit stiffly. They couldn't be blamed, the wizarding world was completely unfamiliar and strange to them, keeping their nerves tense all the time.
But after greeting Link, the tension slightly eased. After all, Link was the first young wizard who greeted them with a normal handshake.
Even Mr. Weasley, who had clearly approached them with good intentions before, acted like he was looking at monkeys in a zoo the first time he saw them.
It was truly awkward.
Thinking this, a more natural smile finally appeared on Mr. Granger's face.
But just as he was about to speak further and improve the conversation with Link, a loud voice rang out again from the side.
"You are… a child of the Flamel family, right?"
Lockhart forced his way into the crowd, staring excitedly at the family crest on Link's chest as he spoke.
Link, on the other hand, had no good expression for him. He nodded a bit coldly and said, "Yes, is there something you need, Mr. Lockhart?"
When Link called Lockhart's name, he couldn't help but imitate Snape's tone, deliberately emphasizing it with a sarcastic undertone.
But Lockhart didn't show the slightest displeasure. Instead, his eyes lit up and he asked, "Did your mother come too?"
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